Part IV Summary

Octavian is bound and put in darkness, with the iron mask on, and he is left for a long time in silence. He recalls a lesson that Gitney once taught him, throwing an egg at Octavian's face during breakfast time and informing him that the egg has the substance of a chicken, but not the form. Eventually, the mask is removed, and he is fed. He finds himself in one of the house's upper rooms. He refuses to eat at first, but finally breaks down and takes in oatmeal. He wonders how he managed to be caught again, and comes to realize that Sharpe must have had friends in the rebel army to help him do so. Though he did become good friends with Evidence, he knew that the private's beliefs regarding the eventual freedom of all slaves was misled. Octavian...